Cherryville starts hot in win over Jackets

BESSEMER CITY — Cherryville scored on four of its first five possessions en route to a 34-14 victory over Bessemer City Friday night.

BESSEMER CITY — Cherryville scored on four of its first five possessions en route to a 34-14 victory over Bessemer City Friday night.

Quarterback Darius Harris, who rushed for 84 yards on the night, found the end zone twice in the first quarter to give the Ironmen (3-3, 2-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) an early 14-0 advantage.

Running backs Darius Wingate and R.J. Abernathy added touchdowns of five and 22 yards, respectively, in the second quarter to extend the lead to 27-0 before the Yellow Jackets (0-6, 0-2 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A) got on the scoreboard.

Fullback Demetrius Adams bulldozed his way to pay dirt late in the quarter to prevent the first half shutout by the Cherryville defense.

The Ironmen held the Yellow Jacket offensive attack to 29 yards and five first downs, forcing two fumbles, over the initial two quarters.

Meanwhile, Cherryville racked up 235 yards on the ground with Harris (71 yards) and Abernathy (65 yards) leading the way.

“We were moving the ball and pounding it in the first half,” said Cherryville coach Keith Fox. “We throttled down in the second half partly to keep the game clock going. That’s what we were looking for.”

The two teams, which first met in 1930 and entered the contest tied at 28 wins each, played an even game in the second half.

After an uneventful third quarter, both schools managed touchdowns in the final period.

Cherryville’s Spencer Stamey put the Ironmen ahead 34-6 midway through the fourth on a one-yard run and Bessemer City quarterback Davis Gibby hit Adams on a five-yard reception for a touchdown with 1:43 remaining.

“Cherryville is big and strong. (Harris) is quick,” said Bessemer City coach Larry Boone. “Those big boys up front did their job. Their defense flew around the ball.”

Bessemer City finished with 144 yards of offense, but couldn’t overcome the early deficit, three fumbles and 110 yards of penalties.

“If these two teams are playing checkers, there would probably be penalties,” Boone said. “It was controlled well so it ended up OK.”

Cherryville was also a victim of penalties, getting flagged 12 times for 135 yards.

“Some of the penalties I understand,” Fox said. “It’s a rivalry game. It did get chippy. The kids wanted to play hard. We addressed it on the sideline but it kept happening. I liked what we were doing but the penalties have to go.”

Abernathy finished with 106 yards as the Ironmen rushed for 345 on the ground.